


Home comforts

by TheRomanticcynic



Category: Spooks | MI-5
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-19
Updated: 2014-01-19
Packaged: 2018-01-09 08:24:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1143753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRomanticcynic/pseuds/TheRomanticcynic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruth visits Harry at home after the post proposal refusal rooftop conversation. My first spooks fic, not edited, barely proof read and complete silly fluff... ooc doesn't even cover it. Put it down to good manners and wishful thinking. I do not own spooks, harry, Ruth or port.... inspired by the Harry's feet challenge... sort of.. and naïve, very naïve, sure why not?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home comforts

She’d never seen his bare feet before, but then why would she. She had never visited at home before, well not since she’d gotten back. This was a new house and a new Harry, a different Harry. Long gone was the confident almost brash boss spook she had known and loved. The man standing before her was more damaged, softer and yet harder in many ways. She was responsible for some of that.  
There he stood in the door way, tie loosened, top two buttons undone, sleeves rolled up, shoes and socks abandoned somewhere.  
He obviously wasn’t expecting her, not after their rooftop conversation. She knew she had hurt him…again. He had tried to hide it, but she knew him well enough, although looking at him now perhaps she didn’t know him as well as she thought. Standing before her was a man of many parts, perhaps it was time to get to know him, from his soulful hazel eyes to his surprisingly large bare feet.  
She shook herself, wondering how long she had been standing staring at the man before her, a man half known.  
She also wondered if it was time she let him into her heart, as he ushered her into his home.  
As he hung up her coat and turned to her, he found her once again staring silently at him. This must be bad, he thought, all we had to say, well, all she had to say was said on the roof. “More together”. How could they be “more together”, they only interacted at work. Ruth interrupted his mental rant, “Harry, I have to ask… it’s bitterly cold outside and here you are walking around your house barefoot, why?”  
The tension dissipated in a second as Harry laughed, “The wonders of underfloor heating, Ruth. Feel free to try it” as he gestured to her boot clad feet. She blushed, not sure if he really meant it, one minute they were barely speaking and the next she could be sitting in Harry’s living room barefoot. That level of intimacy was unknown between them.  
Harry turned and gestured to a door, “go sit down, living room is through there, tea or something stronger to drive the chill from you?”, “oh, something stronger, I think… surprise me” she replied smiling. Harry hadn’t seen her smile properly in such a long time, he turned towards the kitchen and whispered to himself, “I could, given half a chance”.  
He returned with two steaming glasses of hot port, garnished with a clove studded slice of lemon. He was disappointed to see that Ruth had not taken off her shoes, “you know you haven’t lived until you’ve experienced underfloor heating, Ruth” he smiled, “there’s something so grounding about walking around bare foot after a wretched day on the grid, my mother always made sure we went shoeless during the summer, it’s a habit I’ve never quite broken. Central heating does make it more bearable in the winter though”  
Ruth took a sip of her port and murmured her approval, “your mother was a wise woman and did she also teach you to make a decent hot port?” Ruth wasn’t sure where that had come from… she and Harry didn’t “do” small talk or ordinary chats. Harry, though, didn’t seem fazed, chuckling he said “yes she taught me many things and being generous with alcohol was one of them”. This open Harry was so different from “Grid” Harry. Why hadn’t she seen this side of him before now? Ruth wondered. Deep down, she knew though, she had never given him a chance to show her the private Harry.  
Ruth took a breath, “Harry, I actually came here for a reason. I wanted to talk some more about what you asked me in the graveyard and what we said…. I said on the roof. I was wrong to say we couldn’t be more together than we already are, I should have said that we need to get to know each other outside of the Grid, I think I only realised that when you answered the door, we don’t really know each other and that’s my fault, I know I’ve pushed you away.”  
Harry rose from his place on the armchair and sat next to her on the couch, close but not touching. “Ruth, I know you needed time, maybe you still do and I can wait. You are right, are you ever wrong I wonder, we do need to get to know one another properly, I suppose that I just depend on you so much at work, I forgot that we both have lives outside of it. You ground me, you know. Now about those boots” Harry gestured towards her feet “may I?” She nodded as he knelt before her gently releasing her feet from their leather confines. She sighed as she felt the warmth blossom inside her, not just from the port or the wonderful sensation of the heated floor. As she opened her eyes she saw Harry softly smiling at her…. It had all been so easy, when did that happen? Was it really just a case of seeing Harry in the comfort of his own home, being a gracious host even after all she had said. It was just him being him that had opened her eyes to the depth of the man crouched in front of her. She raised her hand to his cheek, softly asking “Harry, would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night, with me that is?” as he leaned forward, closing the space between them he whispered “I would very much like that but on one condition” “mmm” Ruth replied, “can I kiss you?” Ruth nodded her assent as Harry gently put his lips to hers, arms sliding around her waist as her hands gripped his shoulders. The kiss was brief but hinted at a passion yet untapped. Harry slowly got up from his position in front of Ruth and sat close to her on the couch, arm clutching her to his side. As she nestled into him he wondered how they had gone from what seemed like an unconquerable distance between them just a few hours ago to this warm cocoon of comfort and closeness. They remained in that position for hours talking quietly, rediscovering all they had forgotten. Ruth suddenly sat up, “My God Harry, it’s after midnight… we both have to be up at stupid o’clock tomorrow, I mean today”, once again Harry chuckled his reply as he pulled her back into his embrace “well since I am a gentleman and we have been drinking, I won’t suggest you stay the night. I’ll call a cab for you”  
He rose and went to the phone as Ruth began to pull on her boots. He continued to watch her even as he spoke his address down the phone. “We have 10 minutes before that cab arrives” he murmured as he walked back to the couch, reaching out a hand he took hers and pulled her to him “how do you suggest we use it”, Ruth smiled as she placed her hands on either side of his face and drew him to her, “like this” she breathed across his lips. Their first kiss so many years ago was a kiss of goodbye, a kiss that had become part of a fantasy life for both of them, this kiss so resembling that, was still a goodbye but held the promise of a life fully lived and filled with love. The sound of a car horn broke them from their reverie, Ruth stepped back as Harry led her to the door. As he helped her on with her coat, he turned her to face him and said “Thank you for visiting me tonight, you’ve amazed me with your courage yet again”. Ruth blushed and dipped her head “I didn’t think you’d let me in, let alone welcome me, I should thank you for giving me a chance”. She stood on tip toe and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Turning she opened the door and glanced at her Harry and said “by the way …. Nice feet”. As the door closed she smiled as Harry’s rich laugh followed her all the way to the waiting car.


End file.
